Chapter 24: Naer Leaves

Early in the morning, Tang Wulin awoke from his meditation and discovered himself surrounded by grass.

It was as if he was meditating in a world of Bluesilver Grass. The feeling here was much better than the one at his home. He was unaware that this was due to the fact that his soul power had entered the realm of Soul Masters, as well as due to the variation in his martial soul. His cultivation speed was much faster now.

Tang Wulin jumped up from the lawn and shook the morning dew off of his body.

"Lin Lin! Lin Lin!" Lang Yue's anxious voice called out from afar.

"Mom, I'm over here," Tang Wulin said as he hastily ran out of the little garden.

"Something's wrong. Na'er, Na'er... She..." Lang Yue was panting as she ran over.

"What happened to Na'er?" Tang Wulin's heart tensed up.

Lang Yue took a deep breath to calm herself before she anxiously said, "She's gone. Na'er is gone."

"Ah?" Tang Wulin was gobsmacked and quickly followed his mother back home.

It was true. Na'er was gone. She had only left a letter on her bed.

Mom, Dad, big brother, I'll be leaving now. Thank you for taking care of me these past few years, but I remember who I am now. My family has come to pick me up, so I have to go. I was really happy during the days I spent with you all. Extremely happy. I really didn't want to part with you all, but from the memories I've recalled, I know that I must leave. I have many things I must do. Big brother, I will always remember how you looked when you protected me from those bad guys. I will always remember the taste of all the treats you've bought me.

- Na'er.

Tang Wulin was dumbfounded as he stared at this letter.

Despite adding to their burdens, Na'er had brought them numerous joys ever since she'd joined their household.

Tang Wulin was so happy after getting a little sister. He always felt unusually satisfied whenever he watched Na'er eat the treats he bought with his forging money, especially when she gave him a sweet smile.

"How can this be!? Na'er, how could you leave like this? How could you? Even if you found your family, you can't leave like this! You can't leave..."Tang Wulin turned around and ran out. Lang Yue wasn't able to stop him before he rushed out of the house.

"Na'er, Na'er!" Sobbing screams resounded throughout the small town as Tang Wulin madly ran about, shouting out as he searched for Na'er's silver hair and violet eyes.

......

Na'er tightly held onto a crude rag doll as she leaned against a wall, one tear drop after another dripping down her face.

That was the first present Tang Wulin had bought her with his monthly wage. The rag doll had violet eyes and silver hair that Tang Wulin had dyed himself. It looked just like her.

Tang Wulin's image unceasingly revolved in her mind.

It was only when they were together that both of them were full of smiles. He seemed to have always been thinking of ways to bring a smile to her face.

He was always there to protect her when someone tried to bully her. Even if he was facing a powerful bad guy, he would still be as stubborn as before.

"Big brother, big brother..." Na'er whispered, as pearl-like teardrops fell onto the ground.

"Young Lady, we must leave now."

......

He scoured the whole town, searching every corner for anywhere Na'er might have gone. He even ran along the coastline in search of her for a long time. In the end, Tang Wulin couldn't find a single trace of her.

His throat had long since gone hoarse from shouting. Regardless of that, Na'er was gone without a trace.

Aside from the letter, Na'er had left behind a few other things. She had left a small silver pendant necklace with an inlaid silver gem. The gemstone was perfectly round, with a silver thread around its edges.

Seven rays of light could be faintly distinguished as they twinkled within the gem. One look and it was easy to tell that it held considerable value.

However, in Tang Wulin's heart, this gemstone couldn't possibly compensate for his little sister's presence.

Tang Wulin attended school and went to the forging workshop with a muddled head.

For the next several days, it was as if Tang Wulin had lost his soul. Every day, he would prowl the great streets and small alleys of Glorybound City until late in the night to search for a trace of Na'er.

He made many mistakes in his forging work due to his mental state, and was firmly scolded by Mang Tian. Tang Wulin couldn't help but continually ask himself, 'Why did Na'er leave? Why didn't she tell me where she went?'

His spirit didn't recover until a whole week later.

..........

Red Mountain Academy.

"Tang Wulin," Lin Ximeng called out from the lectern.

"Here." Tang Wulin stood up. His sadness over Na'er leaving had lessened a bit after a whole week had passed.

He went up to the lectern and accepted Lin Ximeng's recommendation letter. This was the special recommendation letter from the Red Mountain Academy. As long as one was granted this letter, they would be able to register for an intermediate Soul Master academy. Every single student in the elementary academy who successfully became Soul Masters could be recommended to continue their studies at an intermediate academy. No matter what one's martial soul was, they would meet the requirements if they possessed a soul ring.

Accepting this letter also signified the conclusion of Tang Wulin's days of attending the elementary academy.

Wan Yunchao winked at Tang Wulin from the seat beside him. "We're graduating now. Let's go swap pointers later."

Tang Wulin unhappily shot a glance at him. "I'm busy. I have to go to work later."

Due to the mistakes he had made a few days ago, Mang Tian had added three hours to his daily working hours.

Wan Yunchao's mouth twitched as he said, "Coward. You're just afraid to lose to me."

Tang Wulin eyes flashed with a furious light. "I'm not a coward. Fine then. I'll spar with you after school in the grove."

There was a large grove behind Red Mountain Academy. This was where students usually took their Nature Studies Class.

It was very quiet here after school, since very few people would generally come here.

Wan Yunchao was still as fat as before. He joyfully dragged Tang Wulin to the grove as soon as the school day ended.

"Let me tell you, Tang Wulin, you absolutely can't match up to me as an opponent!"

Tang Wulin didn't utter a word.

"Good, then. We'll start right here!" Wan Yunchao stopped walking, then impatiently released his martial soul from his hands.

After a flash, a short blade appeared in his palm. Compared to when it didn't have a soul ring, the short blade seemed somewhat wider, with lit-up veined patterns on its surface.

A white 10-year soul ring rose from the soles of his feet. Wan Yunchao silently moved the soul ring onto the short blade, causing the blade's tip to extend out as 15 centimeters of length were added to the upper part of the martial soul.